Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries

The BEST crispy Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries! Easy to make, absolutely delicious, and use just 1 tablespoon of oil to get restaurant-style homemade sweet potato fries! They come out crispy and are so much better for you than your typical deep-fried versions.

Finally sharing the most made recipe in our house – sweet potato fries in the air fryer!! It’s nothing crazy, but man do I love these homemade sweet potato fries.

Someone asked me the other day on Instagram what would my last meal be and I think I said curry and sweet potato fries. You just can’t go wrong with sweet potato in any form in my opinion!

In all seriousness, we make air fryer potatoes at least 3-4 times a week. My favorite is sweet potato fries and my husband likes white potatoes – so it usually just depends on what we have on hand and who does the chopping haha!

I have become obsessed with my air fryer since getting it back in 2018. We sometimes use it multiple times a day. And air fryer sweet potato fries are by far one of my favorite things to make in it!

If people ask me if they should get an air fryer, I tell them yes, and even if you only make fries in it, it’s totally worth it!

These air fryer sweet potato fries remind me of getting them at a restaurant but are made without all the oil and deep-frying. They are lightly coated in a little oil, tossed with some sweet and savory spices, and cooked in about 30 minutes in your air fryer. We love making them as an easy side dish or any meal or to accompany burger night.

We love serving them with burger/fry sauce for dipping.

Benefits of the air fryer

I have talked about my love for the air fryer plenty of times on Instagram, but let’s break go over some of my favorite parts about it. We’ve had it since December 2018 and it has easily become one of my favorite kitchen appliances.

Here is what I love about the air fryer:

1. You can get super crispy food – due to the technology of the air fryer and the way the air flows, it helps get good super crispy on the outside and keeps them tender in the middle. No need for deep frying.
2. You don’t need to use a lot of oil – to get that crispy texture, foods are usually cooked in a lot of oil or deep-fried. I find you only need a tablespoon or two of oil in the air fryer, which makes recipes a lot healthier.
3. It cooks things faster than you convection oven – I find that it cooks things faster than in our oven and with better results.
4. You can make so many things with it – our favorite thing is by far french fries, but you can do pork chops, chicken wings, salmon, veggies, and even homemade chips!

I have a Philips Air Fryer XXL and love it. And while it is large, it holds a lot of food, and we eat a lot of food. It has multiple settings, is easy to clean, and easy to store. It is a little pricer from other ones I have seen, but with it being so large and how well it works, I think it is worth it.

There are plenty of different models and options out there to find one that best fits your needs.

How to cut sweet potato fries

One of the key tips for crispy sweet potato fries is cutting uniform french fries. There are plenty of shapes and sizes you can cut, but we are making your standard1/2 inch thick french fries. This is the easiest way I have found to cut the sweet potato into fries:

1. Wash/scrub your sweet potato to remove any excess dirt. Using a sharp knife, place your sweet potato on a cutting board and cut off the ends.
2. Position the sweet potato so one of the ends is facing you (it should be up and down lengthwise). Holding the sweet potato, cut off about 1/2 inch of one side. If you like, you can cut off another slice about 1/2 inch thick. This leaves you with a smaller flat surface on one side of the potato (depending on how big your potato is).
3. Place the sweet potato flat side down so it is against the cutting board. Now you have a stable base to cut the remainder of your sweet potato.
4. Continue to cut into 1/2 inch thick slices. Then cut those rounds into 1/2 inch thick french fries. Try to make them as uniform as possible, as that will help with even cooking time.

I find that cutting then into 1/2 inch thick pieces are the perfect size for fries because they will shrink as they cook down. That being said, you could cut them smaller or larger depending on what you like. You will have to adjust cooking time if you choose to do that.

How to make air fryer sweet potato fries

Crispy air fryer sweet potato fries are tossed in a little oil and spices and air fried until perfectly crispy. A healthy alternative to deep-fried and make the perfect appetizer, game day or party food, or an easy weeknight dinner side dish.

Here is what you need:

• sweet potatoes
• oil
• cumin
• paprika
• cinnamon
• salt and pepper

First, start off by prepping your potatoes. Rinse and dry them and them into 1/2-1 inches pieces (see the section about how to cut the perfect sweet potato fry).

Then add them to a large bowl along with the rest of the ingredients and mix well to combine, making sure to coat each fry with the oil and spices. Carefully arrange in your air fryer basket so you can allow for even airflow. I like to kind of stack them in different ways (see pictures below).

You might have to cook your sweet potato fries in two batches depending on how big your air fryer is. The less you have in there, the crispy they will get. We will either cook them in 1 or 2 batches depending on how lazy and hungry we are. Two batches are enough for most air fryers.

Close drawer and set at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, take the basket and shake it up some to move the fries around. I like to do this over the sink for easy cleanup. Arrange the fries again to make sure air can evenly flow through them.

Cook for another 10 minutes. Check to see how they look and cook for an additional 1-5 minutes if needed. Once done, sprinkle with some sea salt before serving. Make sure to open the drawer of the air fryer once done or they can steam in there.

How to reheat air fryer sweet potato fries

If you have leftovers, allow them to cool completely (so no moisture forms) and store them in an airtight glass container in the fridge for up to a week. To heat them up you can put them back in the air fryer for 4-6 minutes, toast them in a pan with a little oil, or use the microwave.

Are air fryer french fries healthy?

Making fries in the air fryer is a great healthy alternative to your typical deep-fried french fries. They are a lot lower in fat as they require a lot less oil to cook. One serving of these is only 199 calories with 4.2 grams of fat, while your typical serving of sweet potato fries from a restaurant can have 330 calories and 22 grams of fat.

Tips for crispy air fryer sweet potato fries

Sweet potatoes can be hard to get crispy since they have different starch content than white potatoes. That is why they are usually fried. But with using an air fryer, you can still get the same results, you just need to make sure you cook them right. Here are some of my tips to get crispy sweet potato fries in the air fryer.

Cut in a uniform shape

Cutting your potatoes in uniform shape and size will help ensure an even cooking time. We don’t want some fries undercooked and others burnt. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but try to get them the same thickness.

Don’t overcrowd the basket

While I like to make a lot at once, you don’t want to fill your basket up too much. With the technology of the air fryer, the air needs room to circulate, which helps get things so crispy. I like to layer my strategically so it allows for the air to flow, but I can also make a decent amount at one time.

Some recipes have you put them in one layer and I find that totally unrealistic if making them for more then one person, I can eat more then that! It will depend on the size of your air fryer, but you should be good with two batches for these sweet potato fries in the air fryer.

Cooking at high temperatures

High temperatures are what helps them get crispy and brown on the outside. I like cooking mine at 400 degrees. With my air fryer, you don’t need to preheat it, but check your manual if that is something yours recommends. I find it to be a waste of time/energy (even in the oven!).

Flip and check them every so often

You want to make sure you shake/flip them halfway through to ensure all sides are cooking evenly. You can even check on them/shake them up more often – every 5-10 minutes would work too.

Towards the end of the cooking time, you want to check in on them to see how they are looking. I have found that they can go from perfectly cooked to overcooked in 1-2 minutes. After about 25 minutes, I will add 1-2 minutes at a time and check to make sure they aren’t burning. This will make sure you get perfectly cooked sweet potato fries.

Tossing in a little flour if you like (optional)

This is optional, but if you want crispy restaurant-style sweet potato fries, toss them in a little flour along with the spices. I like tapioca flour or arrowroot starch for a gluten-free option, but any flour would work. You can use 1-2 tablespoons depending on your preference.

I did not include this step in my recipe as most nights we do not do this, but every once in a while we do.

More healthy air fryer recipes

Rosemary Garlic Air Fryer Potatoes

Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan

Crispy Air Fryer Buffalo Wings

Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower

Air Fryer Pork Chops

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